Harriet Friedlander Residency

Established in 2008 through the visionary generosity of the late Harriet Friedlander, the residency reflects Harriet’s belief in New York as a place that nurtures artists – creatively, personally, and culturally. Awarded every two years, and not open for application, this prestigious residency is offered to an artist who is developing a substantial body of work and is at a pivotal moment in their practice.

Ana is known for her thoughtful, poetic practice that explores relationships between land, language, identity and memory. Working across sculpture, moving image and text, her work often responds to the shifting borders between human and non-human worlds. She has exhibited widely across Aotearoa New Zealand, and her work is held in major national collections including Te Papa Tongarewa and Christchurch Art Gallery. In 2024 she was awarded the Walters Prize, Aotearoa’s leading contemporary art award.

Ana says the residency offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to expand her practice: “This opportunity has arrived at a really important time for me. I'm trying to grow my practice and think about what it looks like in different contexts away from home. Some of the most seminal sculptural practices to me as a student and young artist came from New York and I am grateful that I will be able to see them in the flesh and think about what they mean to me now. I am excited to see the scale of work and ambition there!”

Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Kaiwhakahaere General Manager, Jessica Palalagi, says: "This residency has a profound legacy of opening worlds for New Zealand artists. Harriet Friedlander believed in what could happen when an artist is given time, resource and the freedom to explore. Ana’s work is thoughtful, expansive and deeply connected to place. We are excited to see how New York reshapes, challenges and supports her next chapter.”

Previous recipients of the Harriet Friedlander Residency include: Ayesha Green, Kalisolaite ‘Uhila, Lucien Johnson and Lucy Marinkovich, Miriam Smith and Christopher Pryor, Louise Potiki Bryant, Arthur Meek, Seung Yul Oh, and Florian Habicht.